Heavy Lights

Let me introduce you to a band that came my way via some sort of mystic invitation. By jings I am very appreciative of how this band came to land in the world of SIB, perhaps on some mystical, medicated night I discovered what would go on to be known and recognized by Captain SIB as Heavy Lights.

Heavy-Lights-Album-1It was with great joy that I was given the album “Mad Minds”, which is the latest release from these makers of music from the city of Frederick, in Maryland, USA. These folks really know how to jiggle those tin-foil suspenders.
The album starts with a strong track called “Exploder”, the variations in guitar style are impressive and the melodies are very commercial.
The guitars range from subtle eerie sustaining notes with lots of echo to full on heavy distorted riffs. Quite similar to that of Glasgow based band “Mogwai“.
The music is definitely swimming in that vast pool of variation that we call Americana. You can tell they have lots of influences within that genre.
The vocal melodies are delightfully recognizable but not predictable. There are similarities (probably unintentional) to Jeff Tweedy from “Wilco” and Ben Bridwell from “Band of Horses” and the harmonies are well crafted and constructed.
In a strange way you can hear BritPop in its’ infancy within songs like “The Ringing Bells” and “Fate, Come“.
“The Ringing Bells” has a more Celtic feel similar to that of The Levellers or The Wonder Stuff and “Fate, Come” has a taste of early Suede or Supergrass.
“Mel” is definitely a standout track for its delivery of country sounds. The brush drums are hypnotizing and the guitar playing is exceptional as it sounds that Hank Marvin and Ben Keith have stepped into the room.
“Best Selling Show” is a delightful waltz and displays a whole range of haunting guitar sounds which closes the album with sophistication.

Make sure to catch them on CAPTAIN SIB’S – PSYCHEDELIC FREAKOUT – CHAPTER 73 – MIND OF MADNESS
Here we go with a fantastic version of their song “Mad Minds” - Captain SIB

Okay we’re going to do this a little differently than normal for two reasons. 1) I cannot for the life of me remember who did me the favor of sending me this sort-of DC band’s album and 2) someone else has already nailed the description of this band (and there’s a nice twist involved!).

If you go on Heavy Light’s website and check out their bio, like most bands, they use a flattering review to describe their sound so they don’t have to sound like pretentious assholes. Usually, these flattering reviews are a smorgasbord of buzzy words that have no real meaning and don’t actually capture what makes a band good. But the one on Heavy Lights’ is actually pretty dead-on.

So much so that I Googled the writer behind it, one Katie Powderly, only to find out that she is not only a performer herself, but the person running the record label that put out their album. Of course she’s going to say something complimentary, but listen to this album, read this review, and tell me they aren’t backing up what she wrote.

It’s hard to make psychedelic rock feel not just accessible but enticing, and these Frederick-locals have done it. But let Kate tell you more about it….

“Heavy Light’s mature songwriting and arrangements move beyond standard rhythms and chord progressions offering a complexity thatdraws us in, urging us to pay stricter attention, wanting more, driving us on.

Heavy Lights, through the course of their songs, strategically add elements that keep our ears constantly on their toes: interesting melodies, big vocals that become dreamy when accompanied by compelling harmonies and synth, warm electric guitar tones which offer unexpected (and at times, heartbreaking) chord changes, anticipation-building rhythms, and riveting bass lines. These elements entice the ear, engage us.

Their songs aren’t simple, but they are easy to consume. Not in a lowest-common-denominator sort of way, but because they are performed, arranged, and mixed masterfully. The listener can just sit back, relax, and enjoy each beautiful auditory element, one after another, in perfectly-strategized succession.“ - Bryce Rudow - Brightest Young Things

If you’ve ever read old Oasis interviews, you eventually come across a phrase the incorrigible Gallagher brothers use in almost every interview to talk about their music: “We’re mad for it.” In other words, they’re crazy for their music, invested in it, and thrilled with how a record turned out.
“Mad for it” is the impression one gets when listening to Heavy Light’s new album, Mad Minds. And it’s not just the name that conjures up the phrase. The Frederick-based quartet’s enthusiasm for their music is evident in the record’s wistful, playful melodies and the joyful guitar-pop that permeates Heavy Light’s sound.
You can also hear it in the cohesiveness of Mad Minds. This LP was constructed with care.
“One of my favorite aspects of creating this album was that we began recording soon after the band’s inception, which was also probably one of the most pivotal reasons in it turning out the way it did,” shares keyboardist Derek Salazar. “From the start, there was a certain energy in the room when we got together, and the only initial hope was to somehow capture it in the recordings. While the big ideas and song structures were in place, we were very much figuring out the details and shaping the songs as we went. For me, Mad Minds captures us completely immersing ourselves in the creative process and letting the songs show the way.”
The creative process for Mad Minds wasn’t an easy one, according to other members.
“It was a long process for us mainly because with this batch of songs, it took time in the studio for a sonic feel to develop,” explains drummer Chris Morris. “A lot of that is because when we went in to record it was a relatively new project for all of us and the songs weren’t fully fleshed out with all the ideas for auxiliary sounds and extra instrumentation. Once we started getting those ideas together it was a matter of how to translate what we had in our heads to the record.”
There are a variety of ideas on Mad Minds. There’s the pretty, lilting country-stroll of “Mel,” the fuzzy guitar bursts and galloping drums of the playful (and considerately titled) “May You Go Miles,” and then the standout songs, the stellar title track and the exultant gem “The Ringing Bells.”
Ryan Nicholson, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, gave some insight into both tunes.
“Personally, I am very proud of how the title track “Mad Minds” turned out,” he says. “It was certainly one of the tougher songs to put together at the beginning, but recording it allowed us to really bring it in to form. It was a strange song to us at first, and I can remember wondering with the guys about how people would receive the song, but that talk faded quickly as we worked on it. Derek’s shoo-wops and Brian’s funk are my favorite parts about the recording.”
Indeed, the song encapsulates the band’s ability to meld a variety of pop styles into a unified whole. The first verse starts with a Beatles-esque melody and the bright tone of many sixties guitar records. The chorus undulates between a little boogie-based rhythm guitar and soaring, swinging vocals before sequin into a coda of knotty riffage and hypnotic drumming.
According to Nicholson, “The Ringing Bells,” with its appropriately chiming guitars and the low, chaotic, and peeling tones of the drums, was the tougher track to get on wax.
“As for which song was tougher to create, “The Ringing Bells” has a pretty distinct time and groove change in the middle of the song that gave us some headaches at first,” notes Nicholson. “But eventually it worked out itself out and the track came out as intended.”
Nicholson also elaborated on his inspiration behind writing the song. “When I wrote the bulk of the lyrics I was following a lot financial news and found myself constantly pissed off with how unfairly distributed our system is. The goal wasn’t to be political in any way, just an attempt to vent my frustration about it”
Mad Minds is a carefully-crafted yet adventurous guitar-pop record. It’s clear the band is “Mad for it,” and they hope listeners will be, too.
“Music and why people connect with it have always fascinated me,” says Salazar. “I still find it all as ambiguous as ever. Obviously, this collection of songs is something very dear to me- I know the heart, time and love that were put into each step. But when it’s time to let go, all you can hope for is that people find it as organically as possible. From there, just let the music be whatever each person needs it to be.” - Gregory Ayers - DC Music Download

“I do fear. There is a lightning bolt heading for here.”

So sings Heavy Lights leader Ryan Nicholson on “Stop Talkin’” and it’s perfect. Perfect for the tiny touch of Caribbean textures that sit behind his words like a jovial beach party that doesn’t even begin to end until the sun comes up. Perfect for how unforgivingly persistent it is as a hook, the line and melody taking residence in one’s head without any intention of departure. Perfect for how contradictory the music and words prove to be, such a happy structure shading equally catastrophic scenery.

There are plenty of moments like this on the band’s debut LP, “Mad Minds.” Antithetical in nature. Confident in presentation. Almost flawless in execution. And utterly irresistible in consumption. Rising from the ashes of The Old Liners, Heavy Lights aren’t any more a rebirth than they are a reaffirmation of precisely how valuable and revelatory a restart can be. In the case of Nicholson — along with running mates Chris Morris, Brian Weakly and Derek Salazar — this record doesn’t sound like a mere second chance at a first impression; instead, it announces Heavy Lights as one of the premiere rock outfits the entire state of Maryland probably has.

From the first wave of “Exploder” all the way to the final goodbye of “Best Selling Show,” it’s difficult to find spots of dust on this Pledge-doused table and even harder to discover a splinter of wood even remotely detached from its original position. Take the oddly timed “Wurli” as the most obvious example of detail. Eased in by Nicholson’s delicately rueful voice and Morris’ creatively concocted drums, the song explodes into a dirty flurry of rock-hard guitars and driving rhythms that only grow in weight with each subtle organ intonation. It’s sounds like Muse before any time ran out.

Actually, the comparison with the English trio is apt for another, more relevant reason: Brian Weakly’s bass guitar. Much like the aforementioned pop-prog mainstays, Heavy Lights would hardly be half the band it is without the prowess of their low end leader. Check the radio-ready groove that drives “Fate, Come” or the spot-on cleanliness of “The Ringing Bells.” Not only is Weakly’s playing throughout each of the 10 songs a treat from a musician’s standpoint, but it’s also one of the handful of subliminally imperative touches that wipes “Mad Minds” dry.

Another one of those understated elements? Nicholson’s falsetto. With a voice that recalls a warmer, more humane Ben Gibbard, the singer’s delivery impresses consistently, rising when it has to, yet sounding just as comfortable whenever it’s asked to fade into the atmosphere. Plus, it’s hard to imagine the group’s slower songs working nearly as well without its volume.

Case in point? Closer “Best Selling Show,” the moodiest of the bunch, provides a side of the band that’s hard to believe exists when you consider the aggressive structures heard elsewhere. Nicholson’s ability to convey a special kind of tenderness earns him his stripes as not only a frontman but a gifted crooner. Add a 6/8 time signature and some sparse splashes of slide guitar, and what you have is a set of Heavy Lights that tellingly have no problem losing weight.

Yet none of that means their intensity doesn’t play well whenever those bulbs want to shine bright. For all the promise showcased throughout “Mad Minds,” it’s the title track that ultimately suggests itself as 2014’s Song of the Year … so far. Sounding a lot like most people hoped Julian and Sean would sound (saber-tooth tiger or not) after John’s kids announced their intention to follow in their father’s footsteps, it’s the marquee moment on a record filled with headliners.

Anchored by an adoringly biting hook that features the band’s leader asserting “Forget the who/ What, where, and the when,” the track’s harmonies echo that of later-year Beatles, whenever the Beatles still wanted to be a pop band. Heavy praise for some heavy lights? Of course. But one listen to that second verse, complete with brilliantly bopping backing vocals, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find an argument stating otherwise. It’s the band’s most realized moment.

Which makes sense, because “Mad Minds,” even with its limited flaws, is without question one of the most realized albums Frederick has seen this side of Silent Old Mtns.’ “Velvet Raccoon.” Taken as a whole, the collection is wildly original and excitingly hungry, a set of indie-pop not afraid to use countless contagious guitar riffs and enough layered vocals to make Max Martin blush.

Thus is should be said: No fear of lightning bolts needed. There’s enough electricity in these 10 songs to generate the loudest crack of thunder this year might hear. All lit up. - Colin McGuire - Frederick Playlist